NOTEWORTHY

r. Frank Collins, Radcliffe Killam Distinguished Professor of Accounting, received a Certificate of Merit from Strategic Finance, the flagship publication of the Institute of Management Accountants, for his manuscript, “Self Interest vs. Concern for Others.” D

r. Nereu Kock, associate professor and department of management information systems and decision science chair, was selected as the founding editor-in- chief for International Journal of E-Collaboration. D

r. Kathleen Pletsch de García, associate professor of English and Spanish and department of language and literature chair, was elected to the Executive Committee for the Linguistic Association of the Southwest. D

r. Thomas Mitchell, associate professor of American literature and 19th Century British literature, was elected to the Advisory Board of the Hawthorne Society. D

he Academy of International Business- Southwest Region named Dr. Michael Landeck, professor of marketing and international business, Educator of the Year. T

r. Doris J. Rosenow, associate professor of nursing, Horacio Palacios, assistant professor of nursing and Irma Lara, assistant professor of nursing, presented the results of their study on metabolic syndrome at the Fifth Annual Southern States Knowledge in Nursing Conference: Advancing Knowledge of Minority Women and Children’s Health in San Antonio. D

Compiled by Melissa Barrientos-Whitfield

8 prism

s the University begins its 35th Anniversary year this Fall, it’s hard to imagine a world without e-mail, internet connectivity, WI-FI, and all forms of electronic access. Then, a “chat room” probably would have been considered a study cubicle in the shared Harold R.Yeary Library at then-Laredo Junior College. A

Whether you’re a current student or a graduate who hasn’t set foot on campus in years, technology is helping to bridge

time and distance

for all members

of

TAMIU’s ever-expanding community.

This Fall, the University will provide expanded e-mail service for students and alumni through its “E-mail for Life” program. The new service includes 50 megabytes of storage space, a faster and more intuitive Web interface, better spam protections, and e-mail filtering rules and integrated help functions. On campus this Fall, students will utilize password access for computer labs, wireless networks and printing services. University computer labs will also be using a new printing management system to help conserve

paper and toner.

Interim

vice

president

for

the

University’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), Leebrian Gaskins said the changes provide students and alumni with valuable tools.

“It’s a very nimble system that will provide our students and alumni with a rich resource for communication and help to strengthen connection with the University community,” Gaskins noted.

“AskTAMIU” is another technological addition. The new Web-based information response system intelligently provides various answers to questions about TAMIU and interacts with the requestor to make sure the information provided is relevant…any time of the day or night. It can also provide contact points for more specific information by phone or e-mail. It

anchors specific home pages for the Office of Financial Aid, Office of Admissions and Office of Housing and Residence Life.

It’s part of an effort by the University’s Office of Student Recruitment to be able to address Web-based inquiries that are increasingly preferred by potential and current TAMIU students.

The University has also expanded its WI-FI network, providing students with wireless access at the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library and the Western Hemispheric Trade Center.

Acquiring a site license for Oracle database and development software resulted in a large cost savings for the University and will allow faculty to teach Oracle in the classroom. OIT plans to explore more site licenses with Adobe and Microsoft in the near future.

And for fans of open source operating systems and software, a pilot initiative in Dr. Billy F. Cowart Hall labs will give students dedicated computers running open source systems and software.

For additional information on the University’s information technology initiatives for students and alumni, please call OIT at 956.326.2100, visit offices on the second floor of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library 257 or click on oit.tamiu.edu for information on signing up for the expanded “E-mail for Life” service.